Mou Hitori No Boku
by Canadino
Summary: Things were going good until another consciousness decided to take over...YxL, HxL - part of the Mankinfan/FlyingGazeebo collaberation
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: If Shaman King were mine, I wouldn't need to write fanfics. If any of these songs were mine, I wouldn't be writing fanfics.**

Background music: --

Mou Hitori No Boku (The Other Me) – is a collaboration between Mankinfan and TheFlyingGazeebo. This style is different from the other fics! We will be alternating writing the chapters to this multi-fic, HOWEVER we will be updating on different accounts! Therefore, I will be writing the odd numbered chapters while FlyingG will be doing the even numbers! That being said, the next chapter will appear under FlyingGazeebo's name.

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_You were in love with some other guy. He looked just like me._

"Are you ready? Warm enough?"

"Mm, I think I'm good."

A warm, hand engulfed another as Yoh gave Lyserg a friendly smile. For a second, the expressionless face of the smaller boy's nearly remained stoic before returning him with a small, modest one. The brief exhibit of coldness and lack of emotion was instantly forgotten as they stepped out of the tiny inn-like house Yoh lived in. It was nicknamed Flame Inn by one of the two's mutual friends, Horokeu Usui, who had commented how the place seemed loaded with freeloaders such as Ren and himself, although they tried to save room by sharing a room. The flame part came from also from Horo, ever the environmentalist, had commented how easy it would be to set the wood-based house on fire. Thus, he was banned from anything that involved combustion for weeks.

Although really, that recreational snowboarder would have been at home outside. The frost was just starting to melt on the ground, as winter was slowly saying uncle to spring. Still, it was cold enough for their breaths to make puffs of white steam, which mingled along until they became as clear as the gray sky.

And even despite the dreary day, Lyserg thought, he should be happy. After years of going through with failed relationships he should be content with what he had with Yoh. The boy was such a nice person, always considerate and thinking of your best interest. He supposed there weren't many people who were understanding like Yoh. He was being selfish by thinking he lacked something more. He was overthinking it, probably. No sixteen-year-old would get worked up like this about something so small. After all, teenagers these days were known for one-night stands and flings, right?

Like he could stomach a fling. He knew had he been interested in girls, he would be a good catch, what with this acceptance of commitment and all, but he liked long-term relationships. So many hectic things had happened with his life for him to not want to settle down and have something solid in his hands.

But things usually felt better after a walk. And it was a nice day for one.

The ground was crunchy under their feet, as if they were walking on popcorn or something. Experimenting, Lyserg stepped harshly with one foot before gently skimming the ground on his next step. This test was not unnoticed by Yoh, who chuckled warmly.

Lyserg really was quite adorable, even if he was a bit standoffish. Yoh hadn't known at first he was interested in guys (or anyone in particular, he liked life simple and relationships were anything but), but then of course, he hadn't known Lyserg was a guy at first. It was Amidamaru who had brought it to his attention that maybe, just _maybe_ they were the same gender. Otherwise, he'd have thought the green haired Brit with a slight accent to his Japanese was a completely normal person.

Well, scratch that. They weren't exactly normal. Normal people didn't see ghosts or spirits, like Amidamaru. Normal people weren't shamans. Normal people were not medians between the spiritual world and the physical world.

Nope, not normal.

Amidamaru was his trusty samurai ghost partner. Not surprising to have samurai in Japan, but Yoh wondered if he had extreme luck to get such a trustworthy and loyal partner. Amidamaru had been wandering around aimlessly, so aimlessly in fact, that he had floated through Flame Inn's walls without even knowing it.

"Hey, this place is a place for people to stay. Wanna be my ghost partner?"

At first it was such an unbelievable request (a human seeing him and asking him to be his partner? Unheard of!) that Amidamaru had nodded dumbly before he had really understood what the lazy looking boy with antique orange headphones had said. Before long, though, the meaning of partner started to mold into the definition of 'the accompaniment to said partner to midnight bathroom trips, guide to said partner when said partner lost his way, and sane 'adult' in the inn full of children', as the Asakura parents had deemed Yoh capable of living on his own.

Of course, had Horo and Ren not stopped by, Yoh probably would have starved to death that day.

After a while, after some complications and misunderstandings and getting-togethers, Amidamaru suddenly became 'watch guard' outside a closed room where Yoh and Lyserg would emerge from later looking satisfied (and sometimes sore).

Currently, Amidamaru was floating on ahead, watching from a modest distance, as it was quite unspoken but clear that these two wanted their space from their unworldly partners. And Amidamaru was glad to comply. Even being so old in years, these two were one of the cutest little couples he'd ever seen in this thousands of years of 'living'.

A pink sparkle floated close to Lyserg's shoulder, contrasting nicely against the grassy green of his hair. The tiny pink fairy glittered close to his head before twirling in the air like a show pilot and streaking up toward the sky. She wasn't much a talker, but she found that she could communicate with her master without words. And although she wasn't a human being, she realized these two couldn't completely be themselves with a pair of eyes at them.

"Are you alright? It's a bit chilly; you know how easily you catch colds."

Lyserg nearly made a face at Yoh's comment, but forced himself to smile. After all, Yoh was just being considerate. But did he have to fret about him every single minute of the day? He could take care of himself. "I'm fine. This coat's warm enough. And it's nearly spring anyway."

"Yeah, spring!" Yoh nearly cheered. "Then after, summer." Although neither would have bothered much; they had both gotten a basic education but with life being so short (as told numerous times by the local ghosts), they rarely attended school, although Lyserg preferred to educate himself at home. With the help of the said local ghosts, neighbors rarely asked questions and Yoh was likeable so much they just let it slide.

Horo had been a self-proclaimed seventh grade drop out and was currently on a quest to at least finish grade school, as Ren had made it quite clear that he didn't like sleeping with an idiot. Horo attended school, but only to save his sorry ass from the couch. Ren had been homeschooled but the tutor had stopped coming around, seeing the dysfunction and people 'talking to themselves', but Ren had deemed himself worthy with his education and saw no need to continue.

Horo's spirit was a cute little earth spirit, almost like Morphine, except less fairy-like. Kororo usually followed her master around, but school had been boring for her, just to float around and listen to some man or woman talk on and on about things that made no sense for her (and Horo too, by the look on his face). She usually followed Morphine around when things got dull, but today Horo had secretly planned to skip school to vandalize a snow cone booth and she had come along for the fun.

Ren's spirit was human-like, like Amidamaru, but he had been a war general in China. Bason was highly loyal to Ren, as he had been a gift from the Tao family, who prided themselves on a line of strong shamans. He was rarely seen away from Ren, but he was also the second body guard to Yoh, who could become helplessly lost even with Amidamaru and two spirits were needed to aid him back home. But as Lyserg was a sensible human being, Ren saw no need to send Bason off.

And because of this lack of spiritual entities and the distance that the two that happened to be there was great, no one could have stopped the spiritual mayhem that occurred next.

No one, not even Ren, who said he never gave a damn, could have resisted stopping to look at the first lilac of spring, lonely sitting at the side of the road. Lyserg broke the hold their hands had, although he swore he heard some sort of inward snap, and bent down to look at the delicate flower. It was a washed out purple, as if the flower had gone through the gutter to get here, with a drop of snow melting slowly on its petals. A smile found its way across Lyserg's face; he liked delicate things.

"It's pretty." In his captivation of the flower, Lyserg had turned his back on Yoh, and in that tiny nanosecond, the air vibrated in such a way that Lyserg glanced behind him at the carefree shaman, sensing some kind of wrong. However, Yoh was still smiling at him in such a normal way that he thought nothing of it; turning back to the purple, Lyserg smiled again.

"It's pretty."

"It is."

Before Lyserg could reply, a pair of familiar yet foreign warm arms circled his waist and pulled him close. Startled at such a public display of affection, something Yoh wasn't widely known for, Lyserg blinked as he felt Yoh's breath against his neck.

"Yoh…?"

"I gotcha." It was in Yoh's low tenor, but at the same time, it was different. Lyserg couldn't pinpoint why he felt so unsettled so he let himself be held as he searched his mind for the definition of what he was feeling.

"Are you…okay?" It was an odd question to add, and a bit mean if you thought about it, but if it was Yoh, the boy would just laugh it off. Yoh did, but the chuckle was one Lyserg had never heard before. Finally hitting the mole on the head, Lyserg realized how he felt: there was one too many spirits in their vicinity, and without the appearance of a gaping ghost, there was only one explanation.

"I don't know who you are, but get out of Yoh's body."

Yoh laughed again, but now it was a bit more of a scathing tone; physically it might have burned, actually. "I'm never letting you go, Lyserg."

"Get out of his body."

"Never."

Struggling to get out of the arms of a stranger, Lyserg found the spirit had actually taken over most of Yoh's consciousness, because he sensed no struggle. The spirit must have subdued Yoh as quickly as it had entered.

Tired of the thrashing, Yoh turned Lyserg around so they were face to face, so close that the warm puffs of steam mingled with each other and became one single entity. Indignant to kiss a stranger, Lyserg settled for glaring. "Who are you, and what are you trying to pull?"

The Yoh smiling back at him had a strange red glint in his eyes that was akin to a consuming flame. With a mysterious smirk, the spirit moved its host's mouth. "My name is Hao and I'm here for _you_."

To be continued…by TheFlyingGazeebo

Note: Sorry this took so long to type up. Had a lack of ideas. Review, though, if you like! And wait for FlyingG to write the next chapter! Thank you!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: If Shaman King were mine, I wouldn't need to write fanfics. If any of these songs were mine, I wouldn't be writing fanfics.**

Background music: --

Mou Hitori No Boku (The Other Me) – is a collaboration between Mankinfan and TheFlyingGazeebo. This style is different from the other fics! We will be alternating writing the chapters to this multi-fic, HOWEVER we will be updating on different accounts! Therefore, I will be writing the odd numbered chapters while FlyingG will be doing the even numbers! That being said, the next chapter will appear under FlyingGazeebo's name.

-

He was stopped from finishing the sentence when Yoh raised a hand, looking...almost stern, for once. Unusually serious, that was for sure. "Yeah. He's been here the whole time. But!-" He waved his hand again when Lyserg opened his mouth to say something else; "-now that you know that, you're going to need the rest of the story. ...Best get comfortable." Another tiny sigh escaped him, looking unusually uncomfortable for Yoh.

"This might take a while."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

If Horo hadn't been stupid, this all wouldn't have happened. Well, at least it wouldn't have been brought to the attention of the victim.

Yohmei sat on the porch of the Izumo Asakura estate, sipping tea with what he hoped to be a tolerant expression which was in reality one of a twitching vein. He had heard the yelling and screaming up the mountain and he knew the spring spirits were not in the mood to hear human chaos up their sacred place. So when the twelve-year-olds came into view, Yohmei nearly snapped.

"Do you dysfunctional little children know the damage you could have caused?!" Yohmei shouted, flinging the cup of tea into the bushes. The pack stopped; loveable Yoh straightening with a start, the orange headphones quivering on his head, Lyserg, always a few steps behind him, gripping the Asakura's shoulder in comfort (or was it fear?), Ren, who was stretching while holding his ridiculously big kwan-dao, and Horo, in his trademark shorts even in winter. The four paused, unsure of how to approach this anger, before Horo opened his big mouth.

"It wasn't our fault, pops. This lady spirit just took over me and tried to seduce Ren."

"Luckily I'm not easily seduced by blue hair," Ren said, putting his weapon away boredly.

"That is not the point!" Yohmei screamed, the word 'pops' ringing in his ears. "Do you know how the spirits are affected by the atmosphere? Noise is not good for them!"

"Then obviously you're not helping," Lyserg said, rather untactfully. Horo glanced at him gratefully but Yohmei continued, becoming quite red in the face.

"Have the four of you heard of long-time possessions?" Yohmei yelled. "I'm sure all four of you have been possessed either willingly or unwillingly in your twelve years of life, but do you know about long-term possessions?"

None of the tweens could say a word.

"That's what I thought. Long-time possessions are just like the name suggests; the spirits possesses you for a long time. And you might be thinking, well, I have enough furyoku to expel this human or nature spirit, right? Wrong! Long-time possessions happen when you are in complete sync with the intruder, such as if you share the same views or the same desires."

"Well, it was no surprise that lady tried to possess Horo to get to Ren then," Yoh muttered, smiling vaguely when Lyserg chuckled.

"This is not a joke, Yoh Asakura! Hear me, all of you! Sometimes the possession is unnoticed, and it can go on for a long time if the spirit doesn't act up! These spirits around these parts are known for such behavior! If you anger them, they may just piggy back with you until who knows how long! Not only does this leave you with no privacy, but your shamanic powers are cut in half while you have another psyche with you!"

"Alright, we get it, pops," Horo said, waving his hand for the end.

If Yohmei was not a firm believer in life, he would have slaughtered Horo right then and there. But he was Yoh's friend, so he just took a deep breath. "Fine. Be quiet from now on. You may go. Except you, Yoh." A thoughtful expression crossed his face. "I have to speak with you privately."

"You got it!" Horo whispered loudly, before scurrying away with a loud whoop. Ren followed with a sigh, trailed by Lyserg, who let go of Yoh regretfully. The two were extremely close, since childhood and although Horo had loudly speculated one time during dinner if the two were an item, the truth was that they weren't. Giving the nervous Asakura a second glance, Lyserg followed Ren, out of earshot.

"Yeah, what is it, gramps?"

The bulging vein in Yohmei's head throbbed. "Yoh, I think it's time I tell you something. It's a secret the family has guarded from you for a long time. We didn't want to tell you earlier, but I just gave that spheal and I think it's time you know."

"About what?" Yoh squirmed uncomfortably. A secret his whole family knew about except him? How sketchy.

"You know what I said about long-time possessions?"

"Yeah?"

"And you know about how you were born?"

Yoh's face scrunched up. "I don't quite see how possessions are related to se-…"

"_Not _that, young man. Get your head out of the gutter. Anyway, do you know the story of your birth, I think Keiko's told you about it…"

"Oh, yeah…about how I was supposed to be part of a set of twins but the other died?"

"Yes…well…the truth is…the body died, but not the spirit."

"Okay." Yoh wasn't quite on the ball and Yohmei nearly smacked his forehead.

"Do I have to spell it out for you, Yoh?! The other spirit of the child is in you! You have two psyches!"

Yoh's eyes widened. "I'm part of this long-time possession thing? Wicked."

Yoh was taking this rather well. Then again, Yoh took everything well. However, Yoh was not all without sense. "I don't get it, gramps. If this spirit's in me, why haven't I sensed it yet? You've given me all this training…I'm sure I would have sensed a grain or two."

"Yes, but since you were a developing spirit while you were in the womb, when the other twin merged with you…well, in other words, you two are about as close as an ingrown toenail."

Wincing at the imagery, Yoh shrugged. "Yeah…but still…how come the others haven't sensed it yet?"

"Like I said, you two are practically joined at the hip. Your furyoku masks it by a long run." Yohmei crossed his arms. After a moment, a smile crossed his normally stoic face. "By the way, if your brother had lived, we would have named it Hao."

"Hao, huh?" That moment, as if he had uttered the password for entry, something in his mind clicked and something akin to a yawn reverberated through his thoughts. _Well, that took some time._

"Oh my god I have voices in my head!" Yoh shouted. "Get it out get it out get it out!!"

Yohmei's eyes widened. "Yoh…calm down. What's going on?"

_Hey brother! Wow, finally I can actually talk to you or something. Your furyoku's been a closed door all this time so I couldn't get through. _

"Oh my god I have a voice in my head!" If Yoh's eyes could spin, they would have been dizzy in five seconds flat. _Calm down, stop screaming. We're connected telepathically, so you don't need to talk for me to hear you._

"Long-term possession!" Yoh clapped his fist into his hand. "So Hao can take over me at random?"

Yohmei was starting to look concerned. One moment Yoh was screaming his head off and the next he was calm at the verge of a revelation. Maybe this spirit wasn't as calm as Mikihisa had claimed it to be. "Yoh…are you alright?"

_Relax, I won't come out. It's much funner watching you struggle by yourself._

"That's not fair."

With this, Yoh started having a full conversation with 'himself', as Yohmei watched with a sick fascination and horror. Normally, long-term possessions did horrors to normal personalities and schizophrenia was a common outcome of most of them. However, Yoh seemed to get along with this spirit as easy as water flows. Breathing a sigh of relief, Yohmei realized, that maybe things would work out. Just maybe.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

By the time Yoh finished his story, practically everyone's mouths were gaping open. "Then…then…" Lyserg seemed to have found his voice before the rest. "Why did Hao suddenly take over like that?"

"That's what I was wondering myself."

"Do you really want to know?"

A split second is an understatement to how fast Hao appeared. It was quicker than a blink of an eye. But the familiar red glint was back in those brown eyes, turning the warmth into something sooty, like ash. In the same instant, oversouls were created and Yoh sat calmly in front of a glowing kwan-dao, bronze shimmering gauntlets, and long tendrils of white.

"Do you three really think you can take me on?" Hao laughed. "This body has Asakura blood running through its veins. Even at half power, Yoh and I are more than enough for all three of you. And I'm not here to start a fight."

"Then what are you here for?" Ren asked, calm, although his eyes betrayed his anger.

"I believe I already made that clear," Yoh said, calmly straightening the creases in his shirt. Finally abandoning his interest in his clothing, Hao looked up and stared into the piercing green eyes giving him a death glare. "I'm here for Lyserg."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"It's been a long day."

Lyserg glanced behind him. He was currently staring at the stars from the balcony and he had barely heard Yoh come on the deck behind him. After a dinner of nervous staring at Yoh before he exploded and said that Hao was sleeping, the air in the Inn was tense. Horo was presently freaking out in his room while Ren was this close to killing him while doing research about the whole long-term possession thing. Smiling as Yoh's warmth engulfed him on the breezy night, Lyserg stared back up at the night sky.

"I can't believe he's been here all this time."

"I know."

"I can't believe we didn't notice it."

"I know."

"You're Yoh, right?"

"Yeah."

Lyserg's gaze fell from the sky back to Yoh. "Do you have any idea how to pry you two apart?"

"Gramps said that doing so might fatally harm both of our spirits. He says that somehow, if Hao is willing to part, things would get complicated but there would be a slight chance of us getting out unscarred. But Hao's in no position to go at the moment so…" Yoh chuckled anxiously. "You know babies getting born with their heads connected…it's all dangerous to get them apart. It's kind of like how we are."

Lyserg sighed. "I was really hoping I could continue sleeping with you without worrying about someone else being there." Yoh chuckled and enveloped him into a tighter hug which led to the two of them in a soft kiss, surrounded by the twinkling stars above.

"You know…I think we're going to have to figure out a way to get Hao out of the picture," Yoh murmured, as they broke away for a breath.

"Yeah…" Lyserg smiled, although when Yoh leaned down for another kiss, his hand shot up between them. "But saying those words is not going to get my guard down. I'm pretty sure this moment did not involve you in the first place, Hao."

"Aw…" Hao mock-sulked, while his vice grip around Lyserg tightened. "But you know how it is. Me and Yoh are so connected I can just slide in when he doesn't notice."

"Hence why I broke the kiss off," Lyserg glared.

"If only you weren't as observant," Hao sighed, staring down at the indignant boy in his arms. "Then maybe I could steal a few kisses here and there."

"How many times…" Lyserg asked, his voice nearly shaking as the realization suddenly dawned on him. "…were you there when we were in bed together?"

Hao glanced up thoughtfully. "Hmm…once, I think. But I think you really liked it. 'Yoh' was being a bit more risqué than usual, remember?"

Almost gagging, Lyserg struggled to get out of Hao's grip, again failing for the third time. "I can't believe I slept with you, Hao!"

"Why? We look the same."

"But you're not!" This sentence hung in the air, and unexpectedly, Hao let go and Lyserg stumbled back a bit before regaining his posture. Staring at the boy in front of him skeptically, Lyserg tried to read the blank face, the glinting red glittering amidst the brown.

"We're not the same," Hao said in a low voice. "You're right."

"Yeah." It was unnecessary for him to have spoken, but Lyserg needed the clarity of being right in a moment like this.

"But that's because I'm better." Hao looked up with an absence of humor or sarcasm in his eyes. "Don't deny it…you think something's missing, aren't you?"

Flushed with the guilt of truth, Lyserg took a step back. Be careful, Yoh was still there. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't worry, I relayed this to Yoh already. He knows you feel lacking. He's known for a bit already."

Opening his mouth to deny, yet words spilled out to betray him. "How could you ever know?"

"For someone always on the sidelines, you'd think I'd be the master at reading people," Hao said, a slow smirk growing on his face. "But don't worry…I think you'll find what you're missing in me, Lyserg."

"You are not the same," Lyserg repeated, finding familiarity in these words. "And I will never fall in love with someone I don't know." Shivering in the cold, Lyserg turned back to the Inn, but not before a hand reached out to grab him and swing him around.

Hao may have been fast, but Lyserg was faster. His hand sweeping across the balcony railing, Lyserg smashed a cold handful of snow onto Hao's face, saving him from the sure assault. "Don't you try and get fresh with me, Hao. The only one I'm ever kissing now is Yoh." Wretching his hand free, Lyserg scurried back to the warm and safety of the Inn.

"Don't you know pushing me away makes me want you even more?" Hao murmured, a sick smile creeping up to light his face up.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

_Something lacking? There was something lacking? How could Hao see this but not him? And Lyserg had even admitted it. He thought things were fine between them. _

_He never really saw Hao as being a threat to anything in his life, but for once…maybe…_

_I don't want to be alone, but now I feel like I don't know you._

--

Note: Third chapter is up. And guess how many reviews Flying G and I have accumulated? Less than three, I believe. And guess what, readers? If you don't start reviewing and showing your love, this story will either be put on hiatus or deleted and reposted at a later date! So if you don't want this to happen, you'd better know what to do. Reviewing takes only a second guys. Don't make us shut this fic down. Personally, I think this can become big, but if we don't have readers, then look what happened to the Tutor and Pretty. Odd, to use me as an example.

Note 2: The last line is a stanza from Never Let This Go by Paramore.


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